diff --git a/components/compiler/scanner.cpp b/components/compiler/scanner.cpp
index 46e50a2e9..dd8fb431b 100644
--- a/components/compiler/scanner.cpp
+++ b/components/compiler/scanner.cpp
@@ -343,17 +343,13 @@ namespace Compiler
             }
             else if (!(c=='"' && name.empty()))
             {
-                if (!(std::isalpha (c) || std::isdigit (c) || c=='_' || c=='`' ||
-                    /// \todo add an option to disable the following hack. Also, find out who is
-                    /// responsible for allowing it in the first place and meet up with that person in
-                    /// a dark alley.
-                    (c=='-' && !name.empty() && std::isalpha (mStream.peek()))))
+                if (!isStringCharacter (c))
                 {
                     putback (c);
                     break;
                 }
 
-                if (first && std::isdigit (c))
+                if (first && (std::isdigit (c) || c=='`' || c=='-'))
                     error = true;
             }
 
@@ -499,6 +495,17 @@ namespace Compiler
         return true;
     }
 
+    bool Scanner::isStringCharacter (char c, bool lookAhead)
+    {
+        return std::isalpha (c) || std::isdigit (c) || c=='_' ||
+            /// \todo disable this when doing more stricter compiling
+            c=='`' ||
+            /// \todo disable this when doing more stricter compiling. Also, find out who is
+            /// responsible for allowing it in the first place and meet up with that person in
+            /// a dark alley.
+            (c=='-' && (!lookAhead || isStringCharacter (mStream.peek(), false)));
+    }
+
     bool Scanner::isWhitespace (char c)
     {
         return c==' ' || c=='\t';
diff --git a/components/compiler/scanner.hpp b/components/compiler/scanner.hpp
index 344ae0582..7f6609f76 100644
--- a/components/compiler/scanner.hpp
+++ b/components/compiler/scanner.hpp
@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@ namespace Compiler
 
             bool scanSpecial (char c, Parser& parser, bool& cont);
 
+            bool isStringCharacter (char c, bool lookAhead = true);
+
             static bool isWhitespace (char c);
 
         public: